The Mets scored single runs in the ninth and 10th innings to beat the Yankees 3-2 and avoid a home sweep Sunday.
Already down Jose Reyes because of a hamstring strain, the Mets’ chances appeared to take another hit today when R.A. Dickey was forced from a 1-1 game after five innings due to tightness in his glute. The Mets got two scoreless innings from rookie Pedro Beato, but they fell behind in the eighth after Jason Isringhausen gave up a run on a Curtis Granderson sac fly.
To come back from there, the Mets relied on what’s been their biggest offensive weapon this season: the base on balls. The NL leaders in walks and OBP couldn’t push across a run after two David Robertson walks in the eighth, but they did capitalize on Mariano Rivera’s two-out walk of Jason Bay in the ninth. Lucas Duda and Ronny Paulino both singled from there to tie up the game.
With the winning run on second, Ruben Tejada then hit a ball that went through shortstop Ramiro Pena for an error. Fortunately, left fielder Brett Gardner was charging the entire time, and though his throw home was a bit wide of home plate, Russell Martin was able to haul it in and dive back across the plate in time to tag Duda and send the game into extras.
The Mets went on to win it in 10. Scott Hairston walked to lead off the inning against Luis Ayala and was sacrificed to second. After a HBP and a strikeout, Daniel Murphy hit a pretty routine grounder to short that Pena bobbled for his second error in two innings. With the bases loaded, Bay drove a pitch into the gap in right-center to end the game.
Bay has now hit in six straight games. He’s also driven in seven runs and walked six times during that span.
Francisco Rodriguez, pitching two innings for the first time this season, earned the win today. The blown save was Rivera’s fourth of the year and first against the Mets since 1999.
The Yankees lost their seven-game winning streak, but they did end up 4-2 against the Mets this season.
